A Wintry Mix....

Yes, it's January. Yes, it's winter. It's cold, and it's supposed to be so. That's fine. We have a dusting of snow on the ground, that's fine. Yet we're still new into the "witner" season, and it seems to me that we've already had our fair share of ice, sleet and freezing rain. That's not fine. I'd rather have snow every day... not that I want alot. Three to four inches of snow at a time is enough. I can tolerate 5 or 6... but not as happily. Anything over that is a nuisance, yet is still preferable to freezing rain and ice.

We've been told we're a storm is on the way. And being 50, I can feel it in my bones. SIGH. Thinking we were going to be getting our first significant "snowfall" of this season, I was feeling kind of warm and fuzzy. I have a cake mix to bake... and bird seed and suet to put out. We have our new red truck that is 4 wheel drive, so being "shut it" isn't too much of a threat.
And then I paid attention to the forecast. SIGH. There is the potential for significant snowfall, about 10 miles north of hear. Interstate 70 is some sort of magical line... and the snow fall will be anywhere above that. For those south of this magical line, the forecast is calling for "A Wintry Mix".

Thinking about that phrase, a wintry mix.. makes me think of things that are warm and cozy.

There are all sorts of things that come to mind:

* A bowl of chex mix, a bowl of different flavored popcorn

* Perhaps a mixture of cocoa and Bailyes, or cocoa and peppermin schapps

* A wintry mix of scented candles and potpourri, all designed to make a place smell warm and cozy

* Maybe a mix of moviees to wile away a winter afternoon.

* As I eluded to before, I feed the birds. So in "bird-feeding speak" a wintry mix could consist of different kinds of seeds, fruits and nuts to nourish the birds in extreme cold.

* I don't want to leave out the dogs. For them, a wintry mix could be a bath of home made dog biscuits. I get the urge to bake and be domestic, so to bake a batch of peanut butter and carob dog biscuits during a storm, could be a canine wintry mix!

* I've recently started knitting. So a wintry mix of yarns, used to make warm scarves is a nice and cozy idea.

All of the things on this list are comforting to me... and warm and welcoming. None of them have anything to do with freezing rain and ice. They don't have anything to do with dangerous roads, and the potention for hazardous travel, or for the bumps and bruises one gets when they slip and fall. I guess I just wish, the weather people woudn't try and sugar coat the realitiy of what a weather related wintry mix really is!

Christmas Lights, a waste of energy???

I was in a discussion during lunch yesterday. One person expressed that they felt that all the out door displays were a waste of energy. Point taken. Another person said that they never put outside decorations up, but enjoyed looking at them. This got me to thinking....

Given the state of our economy, I was surprised this year, that so many people put up outdoor Christmas lights. We set up a display of Mary, Jesus and Joseph, the three kings, a shepherd and a couple of sheep. We want to get a star, and an angel, and Russell has a desire to build some sort of structure. Time will prove whether this gets done!

I've always loved driving around at night looking at them. As in any neighborhood, ours had the typical assortmant... mostly secular, but a few nativity scenes. Then there are the new fangled inflatables... which aren't my taste, but seem to please many people. I prefer the religious displays, and lights. It makes the winter darkness warmer, and brighter.

And, while pondering the fact that there were so many outdoor displays this year, it occurred to me, that perhaps during these troubled times, people, want, need, crave the light. Perhaps the light brings hope, and joy... just as the star did when Jesus was born 2000+ years ago. And I have to ask myself, how, could that be a waste of energy?

I wish everyone reading this a very joyous New Year.